Today was nice.

Today was a nice day. I’ve been stressed (what a surprise!) about work for a few weeks, particularly because much of my work was undone by our tech team. Yesterday, it was restored just in time for a big presentation I had to give to a very intense, intimidating department.

Thankfully, the presentation went well! Really well, for that matter. I did a decent job of containing my nerves (not always easy), cracked a few jokes, and received rave reviews. As in, there was actual cheering.

It’s exciting to feel validated for my work. Even though my job is so stressful, moments like these make me feel like I made the right decision with this change and that I’m on the right path.

I also had time to see a dear friend tonight, and we reminisced about our life journeys and the roads we’ve taken to get where we are now. She was a marching band girl that had hot dogs thrown at her while in band uniform. She performed in a jazz choir before glee club was cool. Me? I was a marching band groupie. I wasn’t even in the band- I was a groupie. I was a mathlete- and not just a mathlete, I was the team’s cheerleader!

We’ve both taken such strange and sometimes painful paths, but we’re both so happy to be where we are. Unlike some of our high school (and college) acquaintances that peaked a little too early, we just keep getting better (well, in our own opinions) and more awesome.